Military escorts to protect tankers in the Strait of Hormuz are not a sustainable solution, said the Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organization Arsenio Dominguez, quoted by DPA, BTA reports.
“It reduces the risk, but the danger is still there“, Dominguez told the Financial Times, adding that the military deployment “is not a long-term or sustainable solution“.
US President Donald Trump has called for an international naval operation off the Iranian coast to secure oil supplies. Since the end of February, the US and Israel have been at war with Iran, DPA recalls.
Domingues also expressed concern for the crews of the blocked ships in the Persian Gulf. “The situation is worrying, especially because the ships cannot sail freely in the Strait of Hormuz or the Persian Gulf region. Access to ports is also limited due to strikes on facilities“, he noted.
The IMO Secretary-General warned that food, water and fuel supplies on board the vessels would begin to run out if the blockade continued.
Ship traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, a key route for international transport of oil and liquefied gas, has practically stopped due to the war and the threat of Iranian attacks.
Nevertheless, Iran continues to export oil, with China remaining the main buyer. Thirteen supertankers have been loaded onto Kharg Island, where an oil terminal is located, since the start of the war, Iranian state television reported.